aubergine
Americannoun
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US, Canadian, and Australian name: eggplant. a tropical Old World solanaceous plant, Solanum melongena, widely cultivated for its egg-shaped typically dark purple fruit
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the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable
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a dark purple colour
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( as adjective )
an aubergine dress
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aubergine
First recorded in 1785–95; from French, from Catalan albargínia, from Arabic al “the” + bādhinjān “eggplant,” from Persian bādingān, perhaps from Indo-Aryan; compare Sanskrit vātiṅgaṇaḥ
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Explanation
An aubergine is a plant that grows large, dark purple fruits. If you live in North America, you probably call aubergines "eggplants." People who live in the United Kingdom use the word aubergine for these big, heavy, squash-like fruits. You probably think of them as vegetables, whether you call them aubergines or eggplants. One common way to serve them is fried in bread crumbs and covered in melty cheese. The word aubergine has a Sanskrit root, and it's commonly used to describe the rich, deep purple color of a ripe aubergine.
Vocabulary lists containing aubergine
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She is standing in front of The Barefoot Contessa with her dark hair coaxed into perky curls, wearing a matching aubergine button-down and skirt.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
The bows danced as the models walked down the runway during the collection’s show at the Prada Foundation in Milan in tone-on-tone aubergine and baby pink iterations styled with black knee-high boots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2024
From left, that’s Harry Shum Jr. in aubergine, Stephanie Hsu in tangerine, Yeoh in black and fuchsia, and Ke Huy Quan in claret.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2023
They ate hummus, falafel or fried aubergine instead of meat.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2022
We all go back to eating aubergine casserole.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
The Solanaceae family is a vast one with more than 2,500 members including tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, aubergines, peppers, tobacco, deadly nightshade and henbane.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2023
Mr Nicolson also referred to remarks about aubergines by This Morning editor Martin Frizell in response to a question from Sky News about whether there was a "toxic" environment on the show.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2023
Ingredients-wise, the old-timers are the lemons and aubergines, the chiles and bottles of olive oil.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2022
Simmer for a minute, so to allow the aubergines to absorb the flavours.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2019
It was a signal honour; but I confess I regretted the broad highway, where I could watch at dawn the peasant women carrying on their heads their basketfuls of grapes and figs and red aubergines.
From The Well of Saint Clare by Allinson, A. R. (Alfred Richard)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
